The Grade Book: “I, Frankenstein”

Plot: Frankenstein’s monster finds himself in the middle of a war between two powerful clans.

Director: Stuart Beattie.

Writers: Stuart Beattie. Based on the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux.

Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, and Miranda Otto.

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Running Time: 1 hour and 32 minutes

U.S. Release Date: January 24th, 2014

MPAA Rating: PG-13

WE LIVE FILM GRADE AVERAGE: D+

AMOUNT OF GRADES IN THE GRADE BOOK: 9

(Lowest grade given to the film:F, Highest grade given to the film: B)

SUMMARY OF THOUGHTS: Despite having a couple of cool moments, I, Frankenstein is mostly just a mess of a movie — with mediocre acting, terrible CGI, and poor writing.

REVIEWS:

Joseph Akers:

Grade: F

This film makes no sense and the script is lousy and underdeveloped. It’s terrible CGI and Aaron Echkart’s overreacting create an unwatchable mess. The biggest problem is that it’s cheap and barely memorable. This is a laughable film and it’s a massive shit to the face for any fans of the characters. Forget Paranormal Activity or The Nut Job, this is no doubt the worst movie of January… so far. ABSOLUTE NONSENSE!

Joe Cauwel:

Grade: D

Much like the monster the film is based on, I, Frankenstein is cobbled together from a dead script. Horrible CGI and 3D. It also has an electrifying dose of overacting and brooding from Aaron Eckhart. But at the end of it all, I found myself with a smile on my face. It is kind of like laughing at Underworld‘s hillbilly cousin.

Tony Estrada:

Grade: C+

A mediocre film that I didn’t mind seeing. Watching this film in the cinemas, I didn’t feel a shred of hate for it, so there’s no need for me to bash this film. Aaron Eckhart was cool as Adam (with that badass Batman-like voice), Bill Nighy was meh as the villain, and Jai Courtney was actually good for the material he was given. Most of the visual effects actually look awesome, while some do look laughably bad. Some of the acting was bad too. It does have really good music, and even though there weren’t that many battle scenes, it was enjoyable to watch. One of the weakest things about the film is that the storyline isn’t really anything special, so I found myself a little bored at times. I, Frankenstein isn’t a horrible movie. It was just an okay film.

Chad Gleason (MoveiManChad):

Grade: C+

This is a guilty pleasure for me!

Nick Iacobucci:

Grade: D-

This feature is just laden with action scenes that look digital or disingenuous and a script so below the standard that reruns of “The Munsters” seem more loyal to Mary Shelly’s novel. Hey, I’m all for suspending my disbelief, but there’s a difference between suspending your disbelief and suffocating it!

Mark Krawczyk:

Grade: C+

Not a great film, but I enjoyed it better than The Legend of Hercules. There was potential for this film to be so much better but in the end Nighy is under-used and they could have done with out the 3Distraction. I did enjoy the cheesiness of the whole thing and had fun. The story was weak but the idea of Frankenstein’s monster being an action hero, and the fact they used gargoyles, was entertaining.

Zachary S. Marsh:

Grade: B

As amazed as I am to say this, I had a lot of fun with this movie. The acting wasn’t horrendous, the story is predictable but fun, the action is surprisingly well done, and overall it’s an entertaining popcorn flick that is great to watch with friends just for the sake of making fun of it. The 3D is a total cash grab, though, so don’t waste your extra cash on the goofy glasses. This is, without a doubt, the best January popcorn flick I’ve seen since last year’s overlooked Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Why this has a lower Rotten Tomatoes score than The Nut Job will forever be a mystery to me.

Matt Marshall:

Grade: F

It’s a shame what new lows Aaron Eckhart and Bill Nighy have to go through just to get a paycheck. There’s no guilty fun in this movie, having stomached such an abominable screenplay and lazy execution. The film is “January dumping ground” at its finest.

Austin Putnam:

Grade: D-

January SERIOUSLY needs to end already. Aaron Eckhart and maybe two action scenes somewhat saved this from an F. This is what I call a fast torture movie. It sucked, but at least the filmmakers had the decency for it to be fast-paced. February, please end this madness!